Biodesign Challenge: how a school takes part

Biodesign Challenge is unusual among student competitions: you do not enter as an individual or even as a team, but as a classroom. That shapes everything about how a school takes part. Here is what the organizer, Biodesign Challenge Inc., says on its own registration pages, checked in October 2026.

Who can register

The program describes itself as an international competition and education program for high schools and colleges. On the college side it is open to undergraduate and master's-level students in any discipline, with doctoral students taking part only as instructors or mentors. On the high school side, the registration requirements say students of all ages may join. An institution may register more than one classroom, each with its own fee.

What a classroom gets

Registration buys access to an online library of curriculum materials and recorded webinars, matching with the program's network of expert consultants, scientists, artists and designers who advise classrooms through the term, and one presentation slot at the Summit. Every student in a registered course, not only the finalists, joins the BDC alumni community afterward.

How the term runs

Classrooms work through an academic term. Teams observe, investigate the science, imagine applications, prototype with living materials and prepare a presentation. Each classroom may send one team to present at the Summit, though every team is encouraged to keep developing its project. The 2026 Summit took place on June 11 and 12 at Parsons School of Design and the Museum of Modern Art in New York, where finalists present to artists, designers, curators, scientists and the public, and prizes are awarded in categories that have included outstanding science, outstanding social critique and the overall Glass Microbe award.

What a high school team has shown is possible

Most finalists come from university programs; the 2026 field drew on more than sixty schools in over twenty countries. A high school team from a day school in New York state was named a Silver Awardee at the 2026 Summit, which is a useful calibration: a well-run high school classroom can stand on that stage.

What to confirm before registering

• The registration deadline for the coming year. The requirements page shows dates in an image, so read it directly; refund requests must be made in writing before mid-January.
• The registration fee per classroom, which the public page does not state.
• Travel to New York, which is the school's responsibility and is not refunded if a team cannot attend.